


rule 34

by thunderylee



Category: NewS (Band)
Genre: Body Dysphoria, Canon Universe, Gender or Sex Swap, Genderqueer Character, Inspired by Black Mirror, Mortal Kombat, Other, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Virtual Reality, mention of vr bestiality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 13:36:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21016637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderylee/pseuds/thunderylee
Summary: If it exists, there will be porn of it. Or, Shige and Tegoshi battle in VR.





	rule 34

**Author's Note:**

> i have wanted to write this ever since i watched the striking vipers episode of black mirror. i didn't like how it ended, so i fixed it. ☺

Kusano doesn’t come around much anymore, but when he does, Shige’s life is sufficiently enlightened. Whenever they do manage to meet up, it’s hard to believe that it’s been so long since they spent every day together under the pretense of work, but then he looks at Kusano’s grown-up face and feels his own stress and aches and becomes very aware that they’re not teenagers anymore.

“You’ve got to check out the new Nintendo X,” Kusano’s saying as he stuffs his face with the snacks Shige had graciously put out. “It’s _entirely virtual_. Like, you feel like you’re physically _in_ the game.”

“Wouldn’t that hurt when you get hit?” Shige asks with a frown.

“Yeah, but it’s not _real_ pain.” Kusano rolls his eyes. “You always were such a skeptic.”

“I don’t even game anymore,” Shige tells him. “That’s Tegoshi’s thing.”

“Fuck that guy,” Kusano grumbles, and Shige bursts out laughing. “What? I hold a mean grudge.”

“That was fourteen years ago!” Shige exclaims. “Get over it already. I doubt he even remembers.”

“Because he was the one who won!” Kusano yells, then sighs as he takes a deep breath. “Whatever. Anyway, the whole concept of virtual reality gaming is fucking amazing, even from a technological standpoint. Who knew that someday we’d actually be able to explore the Super Mario castles and save the princess in our own point of view, right?”

“You would choose that point to focus on,” Shige teases him, and Kusano laughs. “It does sound interesting. Though I don’t think I would want to play any fighting games.”

Kusano seems to let that go and moves on. The conversation flows easily between the two natural talkers, along with the beer, and all too soon Shige’s thirty-two-year-old body is reminding him how late it is while his mind fixates on everything he has to do tomorrow.

“Get on social media already,” Kusano tells him when he goes to leave. “Even Yamapi has an Instagram.”

“Hard pass,” Shige says. “I’m sure Takki will make us do something like that eventually, but until then, I will continue to enjoy not having everyone in the world’s unsolicited opinions thrown at me.”

“You’re so cynical,” Kusano calls over his shoulder as he heads toward the door, and Shige just shrugs.

The first thing Shige does when he opens his laptop is Google the Nintendo X. He’s been out of the loop for so long that he doesn’t recognize half of the games that come with it, but he definitely remembers a few of the older ones. Mortal Kombat especially was a favorite amongst the juniors of Shige’s era, gangs of them congregating at the home of anyone who actually had the game to play these giant tournaments for the coveted prize of eternal bragging rights.

A memory resurfaces that he’d actually forgotten about until right now, and only because they had been talking about Tegoshi. When NEWS was first formed, Tegoshi hadn’t been a junior for that long, and he didn’t have any friends within the agency. It’s hard to believe now that he’s so personable and happy, but back then he came off very unapproachable and cold.

Despite being the youngest, Kusano was nothing short of a social butterfly, and he kept inviting Tegoshi to play video games with him and Shige until Tegoshi reluctantly agreed. It took quite a few encounters for him to warm up to them, but Kusano has always had this way of pulling people out of their shells (hell, he did it with Shige) and before too long Tegoshi was screaming and laughing with them. It was quite possibly the origin of his love for video games that would continue into his adulthood and present day.

Shige watches a few of the promotional videos and sample games in this new virtual reality system, and seeing the previously two-dimensional backgrounds in 3D from his own point of view does look really cool. There’s even a disclaimer about how pain is transmitted mentally and not physically, signed off by several seemingly credible doctors along with a bunch of beta tester testimonials. Looks like Shige wasn’t the only one who had that concern.

Against his better judgment, because he and Kusano had polished off a six-pack and Shige is a lowkey irresponsible drunk, he checks out the online store and finds a buy-one-get-one-half-off code for the entire system plus a starter pack of games.

At least Tegoshi won’t scoff at his choice of birthday gift this year.

*

Shige forgets all about video games and childhood memories until the week before the release of Nintendo X, when the entirety of Japan seems to be talking about it.

“I don’t trust anything that takes over your mind completely like that,” Massu says when the topic inevitably comes up during a break in a meeting. “It’s like a drug.”

“That’s not too far off, actually,” Koyama adds, and Shige’s mind is so blown at Koyama lecturing anyone on anything neurotechnological that he doesn’t interject. “The VR chip causes dopamine spikes just like any other thing that would bring someone pleasure. There doesn’t seem to be any biological dependence, but anyone is susceptible to obsession.”

“Nobody’s obsessed with video games,” Tegoshi points out. “Humans chase that dopamine spike for a number of reasons—video games are just one of the many forms of instant gratification. And besides, some of us enjoy ignoring reality for a little while.”

“Because your life is so hard,” Massu scoffs, and Tegoshi pretends not to hear him.

“Did you preorder it?” Shige asks suddenly, realizing too late that his gift may be a duplicate.

“Not yet,” Tegoshi answers, and Shige tries not to look too relieved. “I wanted to wait until after it came out and I could read reviews by the pro gamers I follow. Why do you ask?”

All three of them are looking at Shige now, and Shige swallows as he fails at coming up with a good reason that’s not the truth. “Kusano came by awhile back and told me about it, and I saw they were BOGO so I figured it could be your birthday present.”

Tegoshi’s face lights up in a way that hasn’t been directed toward Shige for a long time, if ever. “Really? That’s so thoughtful of you, Shige! Does that mean you’re going to play it too?”

“If I’m going to own it, I may as well give it a try,” Shige replies nonchalantly, struggling to appear unaffected by Tegoshi’s praise when in reality he is very affected. “One of the games included is Mortal Kombat.”

“Ah!” Tegoshi exclaims. “We played that all the time as kids. Oh, I hope they bring Sheeva back for this installment. She was so fun to play.”

Shige snorts. “You only liked playing her because she had that one move that looked like she was sucking her opponent off.”

“I was fifteen!” Tegoshi shoots back defensively. “Kusano was the one who thought it was funny!”

“As much as I love listening to you two reminisce about the past, we have work to do,” Koyama breaks them up, though he looks more amused than Shige would like.

_It’s nice to see you getting along with Tegoshi again_, Koyama texts him later, and Shige leaves him on read.

*

It’s not yet Tegoshi’s birthday when the game systems arrive, but they’re both so busy with individual activities that Shige actually has to give the package to Koyama to deliver before Tegoshi goes overseas for work.

_This is perfect timing!_ he sees on his phone after dinner with the Typewriters cast. _I’m always so bored when I’m in another country. I can’t talk to anyone so I just sit in my hotel room the whole time. Now, I can virtually kick your ass in Mortal Kombat! _

It’s possibly the longest message in their entire chat history, not that they really have any other reason to text each other outside of the group chat. The last time had been earlier this year when Koyama had been suspiciously distant and Shige had asked Tegoshi if he knew what was going on. Tegoshi had answered “no, sorry” and that was it.

A glance to their shared calendar shows Tegoshi on his way to the eastern part of South America, which is about twelve hours behind Japan. If they were to sync up during Tegoshi’s boring evenings, Shige would need to shuffle around his morning routine a bit. He already tries to get up earlier than he needs to, relaxing and taking time for himself before whatever he has going on for the day, so it shouldn’t impede him any. He doesn’t remember Mortal Kombat battles taking that long anyway.

The gaming system itself is easy enough to set up, though Shige doesn’t understand why it’s hooked up to his TV if everything is going to happen behind his eyes. At any rate, he creates his account and sends Tegoshi his username to connect with, then tests it out with Gran Turismo and Super Mario Bros while he waits for Tegoshi to log in.

It’s nothing short of surreal. Once the chip attaches to Shige’s temple, he’s instantly transported to whatever world the game is set in, selecting his options in mid-air before actually playing the game himself. In Gran Turismo, he’s shifting the gears and turning the wheel like he’s really driving the car, and when he crashes and burns into the wall as everyone does on the first nasty curve of the third racetrack, there’s a quick vibration before he returns to the menu to try again.

After a couple levels of Super Mario Bros, Shige regrets that he’s not actually getting a workout by breaking bricks and jumping on goombas. There’s this _rush_ of energy every time he grabs a coin out of the air though, and he can feel himself growing larger with the first mushroom. Too bad this isn’t the version with the raccoon tail—he’s always wanted to fly.

An annoying chime sounds in the back of Shige’s head, which instantly has him pausing the game and scrolling through the settings to turn it off. It’s a notification that “Tego-nyan” has added him to their friends list, so Shige clicks the button to approve and finds himself looking at Tegoshi’s hastily thrown together profile. Tegoshi has always used female avatars, though it’s strange to actually see Tegoshi’s face under the flowy blonde hair. The VR chip seems to scan your facial features and body structure to create an exact replica by default, which could naturally be customized a number of different ways.

Shige had opted to bring back Wagahai and use a cat avatar, not wanting anyone to recognize him and inundate him with unwanted attention, but Tegoshi doesn’t seem to have that concern. At least he’d had the foresight to list his profile as private.

“Hi, Shige-kitty!” Tegoshi exclaims in Shige’s head, and that really is his voice. Not digitally distorted or in any way altered from when Tegoshi speaks to him in person. Tegoshi’s smile is also real, probably emulated from the facial expressions his brain wants to make.

“This is so insane,” Shige greets him, and Tegoshi grins harder at what is undoubtedly a talking cat head. “My body is physically unmoving, but I feel everything happening like it’s real.”

“Have you fought yet?” Tegoshi asks.

“Nope,” Shige answers. “Just raced and beat a few Mario levels.”

“Yay~ we will do it for the first time together!” Tegoshi cheers. “See you in the game!”

It’s such a strange thing to say, but it’s the truth as Shige loads up the Mortal Kombat screen and chooses Tegoshi as an opponent. Since he is technically hosting the game, he gets to pick the arena, and he chooses the Soul Chamber on a whim. Then they select their characters, Tegoshi going straight for Sheeva while Shige tries to remember which fighters have which moves.

He ends up picking Sub Zero and immediately becomes encased in armor, even on his face. It’s not that comfortable, but he doesn’t have much time to dwell on it as he finds himself standing in Soul Chamber with Sheeva a short distance away.

“Tegoshi?” he calls out in a voice that is not his own, and the woman with four arms nods her head. “This feels so weird.”

The countdown physically appears in front of them, the numbers spoken in some kind of disembodied announcer voice, and Shige tries to focus on the battle and not Sheeva’s skimpy costume. He doesn’t usually find himself attracted to video game characters, but this one is three dimensional and half naked and wearing Tegoshi’s stupid smirk that fucks with his brain more than anything else that’s happening right now.

A bell rings to start the battle, though the pair of them just circle each other while Shige figures out which control sequence does what. He has a couple of false starts, but Tegoshi seems to be having more trouble with his four arms until he manages a swift punch to Shige’s jaw that knocks him back a bit with a minimal sting.

“You have to hit me, Shige,” Tegoshi tells him. His voice sounds even more condescending in a female register. “It doesn’t count as hitting a girl if we’re in a video game.” 

“I know that,” Shige grumbles, followed by a series of random commands that result in an ice ball shooting right at Tegoshi’s head. “Ah, I did something.”

“That’s cold!” Tegoshi shrieks, using all four hands to rub his shoulders. “Holy shit, I didn’t expect it to be that cold.”

“Don’t you have a fire move?” Shige asks, ignoring the way Tegoshi’s movement squeezes his chest together even more.

“Ah! I do!” Tegoshi scrunches up Sheeva’s face in concentration, which is equal parts disturbing and adorable, and then Shige’s knocked over by a giant fireball that leaves him singeing. “Does it burn?”

“Not really,” Shige replies. “It would probably be worse if I wasn’t an ice bender.”

“This is so fucking cool,” Tegoshi says. “Okay, let’s fight.”

Shige has half a second to react before Tegoshi leaps onto him, throwing punches and executing moves that have to be purely accidental because he looks surprised when they actually do something. Shige fights back the best he can, highly distracted by Tegoshi-as-Sheeva on top of him. The armor keeps Tegoshi from touching him directly, but the visual is almost enough for Shige to forget that this is a fighting game and not some kind of virtual porn, particularly when he’s close enough to see Tegoshi’s nipples show through the fabric after another douse of ice.

Tegoshi’s next move has Shige stomped to the ground, Tegoshi pinning him down with all four hands while Sheeva’s muscular thighs clamp around his hips, and it’s so erotic that Shige can’t do anything but stare at Sheeva’s face. Despite having a completely different appearance and features, it’s still Tegoshi on top of him, _straddling_ him in the fucking Soul Chamber while wearing the flimsiest bathing suit known to man, and Shige can’t decide whether knowing that it's really Tegoshi makes this feeling better or worse.

“Shige,” Tegoshi says, choking on his next inhale as he lifts one of his hands to unfasten Shige’s mask. “You look so different while still being _you_.”

“I was just thinking that,” Shige replies, his own breath running away from him from more than just their battle.

Tegoshi’s fingers trace the scar over Shige’s right eye, eliciting a sensation so strong that Shige can’t stop the faint sound from escaping. “Does it feel good?”

“Yeah,” Shige answers without thinking, not that his brain is working that well with Tegoshi touching something so sensitive.

“I wonder,” Tegoshi says slowly, and Shige’s eyes widen as Sheeva’s scary face comes closer to his.

He could probably stop it, but a part of him is curious too and he lets it happen, closing his eyes to the entire virtual world as Tegoshi kisses him. It’s not really Tegoshi, of course, at least not how Tegoshi’s lips would feel, but Shige doesn’t have his own either and the reality of this situation is simply too complex to try and figure out. It feels much better just to give into the urge, which seems to be even stronger than when Shige does this in real life.

He doesn’t realize he’s tightened his hands on Tegoshi’s thighs until the body on top of his rocks forward, eliciting a very familiar sensation between Shige’s legs, of which Tegoshi is undoubtedly experiencing the female equivalent.

“What does it feel like?” he gets out between kisses, which are becoming more heated as Tegoshi moves faster. “As a woman, I mean.”

“Fucking amazing,” Tegoshi gasps, using two of his hands to shove off the rest of Shige’s armor while a third pries one of Shige’s hands off of his thigh. “Touch me, please? I know you know how to please a woman.”

“Do you?” Shige squawks, sounding much more refined in Sub Zero’s voice as it would have in his own, but that doesn’t stop him from taking the firm breast in hand, fingers slipping underneath the barely-there fabric to rub an already hard nipple.

Tegoshi moans as his lower half thrusts against Shige, firmly rubbing against him as he fumbles with the fastenings of Shige’s pants. “Inside me too. Fuck, I want your hands everywhere.”

“You’re the one with four of them,” Shige grumbles, feeling a chuckle against his tongue that quickly turns into another moan when Shige shoves a hand between them, letting out his own groan when he finds Tegoshi warm and wet.

Tegoshi’s bucking against him before he even finds his way inside, squeezing around his fingers that bend and rub until Tegoshi’s actively rocking back to take them deeper. A hand wraps around Shige’s cock, stroking him with the air of someone who knows exactly what they’re doing, and Shige has to stop him before it becomes too much because he is _that_ turned on.

“Fuck me,” Tegoshi breathes against his lips, and Shige doesn’t think twice before pulling out his fingers and guiding Tegoshi down onto his cock.

It feels so real, like any other time he’s had sex with a woman with the added mental stimulation of doing it virtually. Tegoshi’s doing most of the work, bouncing up and down with two hands on Shige’s shoulders and the other two touching his own breasts, but Shige’s thrusting up as much as he can from below. Each deep plunge into Tegoshi has him crying out for some kind of tension release, both hands locked firmly on Tegoshi’s hips until he lowers one to see if Tegoshi likes his clit rubbed.

“_Shige_, oh my god,” Tegoshi sputters out, his motions getting choppy as his body tightens even more around Shige. “Don’t stop, I’m gonna come.”

Shige feels Tegoshi’s orgasm before hearing the shrill scream, struggling to keep up their rhythm without Tegoshi’s input before simply rolling them over. Now Shige has all the control, guiding Tegoshi’s quivering legs up and out as he fucks him with wild abandon, fueled along by Tegoshi’s appreciative noises and the overwhelming sensations that threaten to explode out of his skin if he doesn’t finish soon.

“You’re so fucking hot like this,” Tegoshi hisses. “Come for me, Shige.”

As if it were a commanded move, Shige’s coherence fades into a series of sensations, the familiar release of an orgasm without the exhaustion. Tegoshi’s four hands trailing up and down his sides slowly bring him back to the game, where his now-clear mind assesses a disheveled Sheeva beneath him, whose body he’s extracting his cock from, and he’s quickly flooded by panic.

“Exit game,” he says firmly, and the next thing he knows, he’s alone on his couch, yanking the chip away from his temple to sever his connection to the server—and Tegoshi.

The first thing he does is look down, finding no evidence that he had orgasmed in his own body or even been turned on at all. The science behind what had just happened was too impossible to believe, yet it existed. He’d just lived it. For a few terrifying seconds he considered the possibility that it was a one-sided simulation, but then his phone goes off and there’s no other reason for Tegoshi to message him from half a world away at 8am.

_It’s just a game_, Shige reads, and he strives to believe that.

“How’s the Nintendo X?” Koyama asks brightly when they meet up later to film News na Futari, and years of acting couldn’t have prepared Shige for this conversation.

“Stimulating,” he answers.

*

He makes it until the next morning before logging back into the Nintendo X, only because he was so plagued by memories of fucking _Sheeva_ that he couldn’t sleep.

Tegoshi shows as offline, probably having not returned to the hotel after work yet. Maybe he went out for drinks with the crew, or even picked up a local for a one night stand. What Shige knows about Tegoshi’s private business can fit on a mosquito’s nose, but he’s heard rumors of that one’s promiscuity. If he would fuck someone in a video game, he’d definitely do it in real life.

Besides, if his skin is buzzing nearly as much as Shige’s is, he’d jump the first person who looked at him that way. Shige had a hell of a day fending off unwanted sensations because he is _not_ that kind of person, at least not anymore. Even Koyama’s parting hug was a little too enjoyable.

Shige’s no stranger to jerking off before bed, but he usually isn’t conflicted about whom he’s thinking about while he’s doing it. He’d be a liar if he said it had anything to do with Sheeva as a character; even when he was a horny teenager, he didn’t care much for her body. So, it had to be Tegoshi as Sheeva that did it for him, his dirty words and the shameless way he moved that plays before Shige’s eyes as he gets off even harder than he had in his head that morning.

“Can you pick someone else?” he asks when Tegoshi’s female form greets him an hour later. Shige had worked out his aggression battling AI opponents and felt much better. “Preferably a male character.”

“Sheeva’s not doing it for you, huh?” Tegoshi teases, and Shige rolls his cat eyes as Tegoshi pouts at him. “But this is the only way I can be a girl.”

“What?” Shige responds before his brain processes what was said. “You can be a girl anytime. All you have to do is put on a wig and you’ll look exactly like your avatar.”

“But I won’t have the body,” Tegoshi says, and Shige’s heart drops into his stomach. “Don’t get me wrong, I love having a dick, but sometimes I want to have a vag. You get it, right?”

“I don’t,” Shige answers honestly. “I’ve never had the urge to have different parts, not for one second.”

“You’re missing out,” Teogshi tells him. “It feels so _good_. The closest I can come is bottoming to a man, and that’s not the same at all.”

“I can imagine,” Shige says, though he doesn’t really have to try that hard. “How about I choose a female fighter too, then maybe it will be okay?”

Tegoshi shrugs. “Whatever justifies it for you.”

He disappears while Shige selects Frost, and when Tegoshi reappears as Kitana, he’s already laughing.

“What is it with you and ice?” Tegoshi asks, and Kitana’s voice is much more pleasant than Sheeva’s.

“The moves are similar,” he says back, starting at the pitch of his own voice.

The countdown appears and they both take their stances. Kitana wears a mask over her mouth, but Shige can see the smirk in her eyes. It has him coming out the gate with a double combo, knocking Tegoshi on his ass and taking half of his health points in one move.

He can almost see Tegoshi’s competitive streak surge through Kitana’s body as Tegoshi retaliates with his own combo, leading the pair of them to fight properly for the duration of the battle. It’s so distracting that Shige doesn’t think about the bodies they’re in until the very end, when Tegoshi plays Kitana’s kiss of death fatality and those lips on his face leave him trembling in a way he hasn’t yet experienced in his male life.

He’s so distraught that the bell has barely rung for the second round before Shige freezes the ground for as long as it takes to close the distance between them, ripping off both of their masks and descending upon Kitana’s lips. It takes Tegoshi a second to catch up, but then he’s wrapping his arms around Shige’s bulky armor and kissing back fiercely.

They’re on Yin Yang Island this time, Tegoshi’s choice, and it’s fitting that they tumble onto the dark side to pull each other close. Shige gets out of his armor as much as he can, envying Tegoshi who doesn’t have that much, but then Tegoshi’s hands are on his new body and Shige starts to see what the big deal is after all.

“It’s different, right?” Tegoshi whispers, his breath ghosting Shige’s neck as he moves down Shige’s heaving chest. “Let me show you how good it can feel as a girl.”

Shige opens his mouth to reply, but a moan comes out instead as Tegoshi pushes down the front of his bodice and latches his mouth onto a nipple. It’s better than when he has this done in his regular body, but there’s a substantial loss of something between his legs that does not at all make up for the heightened sensations.

“I miss my dick,” he gets out, and Tegoshi’s laugh makes him jerk even more.

“I miss your dick too,” Tegoshi says pointedly. “We can still have fun this way though.”

A frown starts to cross Shige’s (Frost’s) face, but then Tegoshi keeps moving down and nothing could have prepared Shige for feeling a face nuzzle his clit through the thin fabric of his leggings. “Oh, fuck.”

Tegoshi makes a pleased noise as he hooks his fingers in the waistband and pulls the leggings all the way off, taking the opportunity to splay his hands along the smooth skin on his way back up. Shige hasn’t considered the possibility of shaving his legs before, but he may have to think about it now that he knows how good it feels to be touched, especially since Tegoshi doesn’t stop once he reaches the insides of his thighs.

“I haven’t done this in a while,” Tegoshi admits, and Shige looks up to see him moving his tongue around in some weird-looking stretching exercise, which looks even more out of place on Kitana’s face. “Sorry if I’m not any good at it.”

Shige just nods, the realization that Tegoshi’s about to go down on him with different parts not really computing in his distracted mind until it’s happening. A sharp cry tears from his lungs at the first contact, his legs spreading even wider on their own while Tegoshi loops his arms around them and licks his clit.

Shige’s lower half starts trembling on its own, a wildfire spreading throughout his body so fast that he can’t catch up. Orgasm hits him hard and all he can do is moan, jerking around on the ground while Tegoshi struggles to keep licking until Shige pushes him away.

When Shige can focus again, Tegoshi looks pretty proud of himself, though Kitana’s skin has a pinkish tint that Shige recognizes as arousal.

“Come here,” he says, and Tegoshi all but flops on top of him, grinding against him much like he had yesterday, with one notable difference. “How do I fuck you like this?”

“Use your fingers,” Tegoshi tells him, grinning as he shimmies out of Kitana’s costume. “I’m considering submitting a tech support ticket to incorporate sex toys into these arenas.”

Shige scoffs as he follows directions, moaning softly when he feels how wet Tegoshi is. “The game is not programmed for this type of activity, you know.”

“Rule thirty-four,” Tegoshi gasps out, already bouncing on Shige’s fingers. “If it exists, there will be porn of it.”

That doesn’t make any sense, but Shige ignores it in favor of Tegoshi falling apart on top of him. It’s definitely more interesting to watch this without being stimulated as well, though he only gets in a few seconds before Tegoshi’s kissing him deeply, hands running all over his body.

“I definitely liked it better when you had four arms,” Shige confesses.

“I can bring Sheeva back, if you want,” Tegoshi says. “It doesn’t matter who I am, a long as I’m female.”

“Does it matter who I am?” Shige asks.

“No.”

That’s as much talking as they can do before Tegoshi starts convulsing, coming from just Shige’s fingers prodding him deep inside. Shige’s at a loss of what to do since he doesn’t have his usual equipment, so he just keeps going and considers dragging himself away from Tegoshi’s mouth to put his tongue to better use.

“Sit on my face,” Shige gets out, and Tegoshi pulls back to stare at him. “If that’s okay?”

“Okay,” Tegoshi agrees, already scooting up Shige’s body. Shige’s fingers don’t leave him as he bends his knees on either side of Shige’s head, Shige’s other arm lifting up to loop around his thighs much like Tegoshi had done to him as he seeks out the small bump with his own tongue.

Tegoshi’s moans sound better in Kitana’s voice too, though Shige finds himself wondering what they would sound like as _Tegoshi_. Probably only the pitch would be different, the size and shape of his body along with the opposite sex organs. Shige’s seen Tegoshi naked enough times to be well acquainted with the size of his cock, though he hasn’t seen it aroused. Would this even work as their original selves? If Tegoshi’s only into him when he has a female body, there’s no point in even considering it any other way.

“Ah, right there,” Tegoshi breaks through Shige’s racing mind, and Shige’s grateful for the distraction as he continues prodding that spot while flicking his tongue. “I’m gonna come. _Shige_!”

Tegoshi shudders against his face and Shige loves it, getting turned on all over again by the way Tegoshi tightens around him. Except that he really wants his cock now, to fuck Tegoshi into the floor of this arena and all of the others, regardless of which female fighter Tegoshi wants to be.

“New game,” he calls out, and then he’s back at the character selection menu. This time he picks Liu Kang, just so Tegoshi can tangle his fingers in Shige’s long hair before the countdown even begins.

It’s much more satisfying to hear a voice similar to his own groan while he’s balls-deep in Tegoshi, even if he’s a zombie.

*

Shige expects the gaming trysts to die down after Tegoshi returns to Japan, and they do for the most part, but each session lasts much longer now that they’re in the same time zone. At least, they can go more than one or two rounds before Shige has to go to work or Tegoshi has to go to sleep.

“Should we talk about this?” Shige asks after yet another romp in the Ice Pit. They’re Sub Zero and Frost this time, which is mildly disturbing considering the Mortal Kombat canon, but Shige doesn’t care that much.

“About what?” Tegoshi murmurs as he curls up in Shige’s embrace. “I’m living out my fantasy. You just happen to be a part of it.”

“Your fantasy is to fuck all of the Mortal Kombat characters?” Shige teases.

“_No_.” Tegoshi shoves against Shige’s chest, which is much bulkier than usual. “My fantasy to have a female body. Mortal Kombat just allows me to enjoy this body to the fullest extent.”

“So, you would do this with anyone?” Shige asks, his tone coming out more accusatory than he meant it to.

“I don’t want to do it with strangers,” Tegoshi says, and now he’s actively holding onto Shige. “They get rough with me, say demeaning things, and then they get all weird when I tell them I’m a man in real life. You’re not like that. You’re comfortable.”

Shige swallows down the rage that wants to come out at Tegoshi being mistreated that way, opting instead to focus on what this means for _them_. “Are you attracted to me?”

“I have to be, don’t I?” Tegoshi answers easily. “No matter who you are, or even which sex you are, I still feel the same. The way you kiss me and touch me, even the way you fuck me is familiar. The parts are different, but the feeling is the same.”

“Do you think it would feel the same if we did it in real life?”

Tegoshi doesn’t answer right away, and when he does, Shige can hear the frown in Frost’s voice. “I wouldn’t have this body in real life.”

“I know,” Shige says with a comforting squeeze to Tegoshi’s shoulders. “But if it doesn’t matter which sex I am, why does it matter which sex you are?”

“Because it does,” Tegoshi says stubbornly, and Shige rolls his eyes. “Exit game.”

Shige blinks as he finds himself back on his couch, Tegoshi’s avatar blinking offline. He has half a mind to call Tegoshi and demand that they continue this conversation, but he’s not too sure what he wants the outcome to be. Does he even want to be like that with Tegoshi for real? Virtual sex eliminates all the unpleasantries of real life sex that would undoubtedly be more noticeable between two cismen. It wouldn’t bother Shige in the least, but clearly it bothers Tegoshi.

His phone does go off then, but it’s only Kusano. “You fucking bag of dicks, when were you going to tell me you got Nin-X?”

“I’ve been busy...” Shige lies smoothly.

“Whatever. You’re Wagahai711 right? I’m adding you right now, and we’re gonna save the princess together.”

Shige laughs as KusaNoMan215 pops up on his screen. “Okay, but I get to be Mario.”

Two hours later, when Shige has completed four worlds with Kusano in green overalls by his side, he realizes he hadn’t once had an urge to “Rule 34” their game and it fucks him up even more.

*

After a whole week of staying offline, giving himself a break from Tegoshi as well as virtual gaming, he has a meeting with the other NEWS members. It’s the first time he’s seen Tegoshi in almost a month, at least in their original bodies, though it’s not as weird as Shige expects it to be.

“Stop looking at me like that,” Tegoshi hisses to him on a break. “The others are going to think something is going on between us.”

“Isn’t there?” Shige challenges, and Tegoshi just huffs. “I have to know. If it’s just in the game, that’s one thing, but if we really do have that kind of a strong connection, don’t we owe it to ourselves to explore it?”

“The fuck you gonna do, marry me?” Tegoshi snaps, and Shige gasps as he sees right through the pitiful tough-guy demeanor. “Regardless of how I feel, I’m still me in this body and we can’t be together like that. Full stop the end.”

“You know I sleep with men, right?” Shige says slowly, and Tegoshi visibly twitches. “It doesn’t matter to me like it doesn’t matter to you. And I don’t have to marry you because we already have a commitment to NEWS.”

Tegoshi inhales sharply, and Shige waits patiently until the other man visibly deflates. “Meet me tonight at the creek by my mom’s house at 10pm. I’ll mail you the address.”

“Why can’t we just meet at your place?” Shige asks, making a face.

“Because I don’t want you in my space yet,” Tegoshi says bluntly. “And I have to pick Emma up anyway.”

“Okay,” Shige agrees, taking a step back from the uncharacteristic aggression in Tegoshi’s voice. “I’ll be there.”

Tegoshi returns to the meeting without any indication that he’d heard Shige, and Shige spends the rest of the day in a daze. Luckily, all he has to do is smile for the cameras and answer questions on his radio show, easily wearing the idol hat he’s been donning for twenty years now.

Later that night, he parks down the street from the address in Tegoshi’s chat window, feeling like a grade-A stalker as he exits the car and disappears under a bridge. It’s a nice house, small but homey, and he remembers hearing about the argument Tegoshi had had with his mother when he decided to buy her a new house. Tegoshi had wanted to get her a big mansion but his mom didn’t want to clean it all, then Tegoshi had offered to get her a maid service and she absolutely refused. This must have been their compromise.

Shige thinks he’d actually heard about that from Koyama, because he definitely didn’t talk to Tegoshi about things like this. The extent of his and Tegoshi’s relationship was work and the people and feelings related to work, at least until now. It’s cold outside, but his shiver has nothing to do with the temperature as he realizes that everything is going to change tonight.

It already changed, he tells himself. Having sex in a video game is no different than having sex for real, especially when it’s such a convincing virtual reality. Even if they learn that there’s nothing between them, their relationship has already escalated into something like friendship, at least the kind of friends who enjoy having virtual sex.

Trying to make sense out of it makes his head hurt, and he’s grateful to hear the little yip from the nearby yard.

“Quiet, Emma, it’s just Shige,” Tegoshi’s hissing, like Shige’s not the reason _why_ she’s barking, and Tegoshi halts him before he leans down to pet her. “Wait until she sits down. I always have to redo her training when I leave her here for too long.”

He sounds like he’s talking about his child and the thought has Shige smiling, though he just nods as Tegoshi tries to get the hyperactive puppy to sit down. Finally, she does, and Shige kneels down to greet her now that he’s allowed to, glad that one of them is happy to see him.

The minute he gets back to his feet, he’s nearly knocked off of them by the force of Tegoshi grabbing his face and pressing their lips together. It’s surreal to finally experience what Tegoshi’s lips feel like against his own after kissing him in so many other bodies, and he can’t even compare the rush he gets to anything he’s felt in the Mortal Kombat arenas.

It doesn’t end right away, Tegoshi’s grip becoming more gentle as he slides their mouths together like he’s trying to feel as much of Shige’s lips as he possibly can, and perhaps that’s exactly what he’s doing. Tegoshi is the one who needs to feel something here, in the body that he was born with. It’s not good enough if Shige is the only one who is comfortable being like this with him.

“Ugh, fuck,” Tegoshi groans, and Shige prepares himself for the worst until Tegoshi stomps his foot like an immature child. “I don’t _want_ to want you like this!”

“You feel something?” Shige asks incredulously, his lips still tingling from their very real kiss.

“I feel _everything_,” Tegoshi blurts out, staring at the zipper of Shige’s hoodie instead of meeting his eyes. “I don’t want to, because I don’t like the idea of being with a man like this. Not because I think it’s wrong or anything, but because it makes me hate my body for not being _right_.”

Shige tries really hard to make sense out of those words, but he doesn’t seem to get anywhere. “Tegoshi, are you transgender?”

“I don’t know what I am,” Tegoshi answers, the frown on his face darkening Shige’s life. “Sex and gender are separate, I know that much. Nobody wants to be the _opposite_ sex they identify with, right? Or maybe they do and they just don’t have a letter for it yet.”

Shige smiles despite himself. “However you feel about yourself is valid. If there’s anything I can do to help make this easier for you, whether it’s using different pronouns or just treating you a certain way, please tell me.”

“I want you to fuck me when I have a female body,” Tegoshi says clearly. “No matter what happens between us in real life, please don’t stop meeting me in the game. I have never felt so _real_ as when I was getting virtually railed by you.”

“That is strangely romantic,” Shige tells him, and Tegoshi lets out a small smile. “Is it just penetrative sex you don’t like, or being touched at all?”

Tegoshi scrunches up his nose in thought. “I can probably do the other stuff. If you wanted me to give it to you, I’d do it. Like I told you in the beginning, I love having a dick. I’m fine with using it. I just want to enjoy sex the other way too. I guess I’m greedy like that.”

Shige nods as he listens. “We could probably work something out. But not here.”

“Definitely not here,” Tegoshi agrees, and that bright smile returns. “Is it weird that I want to take it slow like this? We rushed into doing it in the game, but this feels like something we should take our time building.”

“Because it’s not just sex,” Shige says, and Tegoshi nods. “I’m fine with that.”

“Good.” Tegoshi finally lifts his eyes, and Shige sees within them all of the uncertainty and hope that he’d been refusing to show until now. “Now kiss me again.”

Tegoshi’s face fits neatly in Shige’s hands, both of their mouths moving eagerly together as they seal this big decision with a kiss. Tegoshi wraps both arms around Shige’s waist, holding him close as they grow acquainted with the taste and texture of each other’s lips, until Emma gets impatient and starts pawing for attention.

“It was nice to have four arms though,” Tegoshi says through his laughter, and though Shige’s more than content with the body Tegoshi has, he can’t bring himself to argue.

*

The countdown is barely finished before Shige’s thrusting inside whoever Tegoshi is today. He picks a different female character each time, while Shige sticks with either Sub Zero or Liu Kang.

This time, Jade is riding Sub Zero in the Sky Temple, and it’s more intense than usual because Shige and Tegoshi are sitting right next to each other while their minds are sexually connected.

“I’m ready,” Tegoshi whispers into their kiss, hips snapping back and forth as Shige thrusts up to get deeper. “When we’re done in the game, I want to do this to you.”

“Can’t you consent when you’re in your own body?” Shige asks in mild annoyance.

“I’m more confident like this,” Tegoshi tells him, arching as Shige hits a good spot.

A few months ago, Shige would have been hard-pressed to believe that there was anything Tegoshi wasn’t confident about, but he knows better now. Being as they’ve had three in-person dates and Tegoshi hasn’t allowed anymore than a hug, Shige is well aware of the insecurity that only he gets to see.

“I wanna hear you moan,” Tegoshi says, cutting Shige off before he can oblige. “In your own voice, when I’m making you do it.”

“That’s all I’ve wanted,” Shige gets out, approaching his peak much faster now that he’s thinking about Tegoshi touching him so intimately. “I bet you sound much nicer when you’re saying my name.”

“Wow, you’re really getting off on this,” Tegoshi observes, and Shige opens an eye to glare up at him. “You want me to tell you what I’m gonna do to you after you come?”

“Yeah,” Shige answers. “Tell me.”

“I’m gonna touch you,” Tegoshi says in Jade’s sinfully low whisper. “Feel your cock in my hand for the first time, and you can touch mine too. Maybe I’ll put yours in my mouth, maybe I’ll put mine somewhere else. Either way, I’m gonna use it the way god intended, because spending so much time with you in that body has made me want you really badly.”

“Mm, all of that sounds nice,” Shige replies, his blood surging at the promise of being like that with Tegoshi in the real world. “I want you to tell me that in your voice.”

“I’ll try,” Tegoshi says, and that’s all Shige needs to hear to clamp his hands to Tegoshi’s hips and fuck him hard from below. “Yeah, just like that. I’m gonna come.”

“Me too,” Shige gasps just before his virtual world goes white.

He’s still out of it when he hears Tegoshi call out the exit command, his breath heaving in his own body as he returns to his couch yet again. Only this time, Tegoshi is on the next cushion.

Carefully, Shige turns to look at Tegoshi, taking in his flushed face and glossed-over eyes that has Shige getting turned on all over again. “Do you still mean what you said?”

Tegoshi nods a little too fast, lifting his eyes like he’s forcing himself to look at Shige. “I want to touch you,” he says clearly, and it’s a thousand times better to hear it in his voice. “I want you to touch me. I want us to make each other feel good like this.”

Shige nods, so happy that tears form in the corners of his eyes. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me for sex, it’s weird,” Tegoshi tells him, and Shige bursts out laughing. “It is!”

“Come on,” Shige says, unsteadily getting to his feet and reaching out for Tegoshi’s hand. “Let’s go to bed.”

Tegoshi hesitates for a few seconds, then takes the proffered hand and allows Shige to pull him to his feet and guide him down the hall. Shige hadn’t made his bed this morning, but Tegoshi doesn’t seem to care as he flops down in the middle of it.

“You gonna make me do all the work?” Shige teases as he crawls in on top of him, leaning down to kiss the pout that’s more effective on Tegoshi’s natural face.

“I’ll move when we do it, but for now I want you on top of me,” Tegoshi says so straightforwardly that Shige just nods and gives him what he wants. “Kiss me.”

Their mouths collide naturally, but this time it doesn’t stop at lips brushing together. Tegoshi licks his way into Shige’s mouth much like he’d done in the game, though it’s worlds different feeling it in their own bodies. It’s like he’s feeling it for the first time despite spending the better part of two months doing much more in a virtual reality.

This is definitely the first time he’s lowered his hand down Tegoshi’s flat chest and felt a bulge. The noise Tegoshi makes is nice, keeping him right where he is, curling his fingers around the defined mass that hardens even more from his touch.

Then Tegoshi’s hips snap and his own hands come to life, sliding up Shige’s shirt and down around his waistband until he finds Shige’s erection already tenting his sweatpants. It feels so much better to groan in his own voice, the pair of them groping each other through their clothes until the heat between them rises enough to disrobe properly.

Tegoshi rolls them over, hovering over Shige with an indescribable expression as he runs his hands all over Shige’s body. It’s not fast by any means, his eyes locked on Shige’s face to see what makes him jerk and what makes his lips part in a silent moan.

He’s still watching Shige’s expression when his hand returns to Shige’s cock, twisting his wrist and rubbing the tip with his thumb until Shige involuntarily thrusts up into the touch, moaning out loud because it feels really good.

Tegoshi leans down to press a kiss to his lips, followed by the faintest “I’m gonna put it in my mouth” that has Shige’s nerves spiking in anticipation. He can’t stay still as Tegoshi kisses his way down Shige’s chest, taking his time licking both of Shige’s nipples before dropping down to where he’s leaking with precome.

A loud groan takes over his head when Tegoshi’s tongue makes contact with the head of his cock, all of his control focused on _not_ thrusting up into Tegoshi’s mouth that’s not even around him yet. Shige is usually a patient person but not like this, not when he’s already been waiting so long, and several whimpers escape past his lips before Tegoshi takes pity on him and sucks him past his lips.

“Oh, god, Te—” Shige starts, then frowns at the impersonality of using Tegoshi’s family name like this. “Yuuya. Feels good.”

Tegoshi’s hum is more than enough approval, particularly since Shige feels it on his sensitive skin. Tegoshi starts to move his head back and forth, not quickly by any means, though it’s just as enjoyable than if Tegoshi was sucking faster. Shige doesn’t plan on finishing like this anyway, at least if Tegoshi plans on making good on _all_ of his dirty words while they were still in the game.

Sure enough, Tegoshi pulls off after swallowing down Shige’s cock a few more times, making his eyes roll back into his head as he crawls back up Shige’s body.

“Still want me?” Tegoshi whispers into Shige’s lips, and Shige nods. “How do you like to do it?”

“This way is fine,” Shige tells him, lifting his legs a bit to make it more obvious. “Lube’s in the drawer.”

“I don’t want fine,” Tegoshi says so firmly that Shige darts his eyes up to meet Tegoshi’s stern ones. “You have made my fantasy come true over and over again when I never thought I would experience it at all. Now, tell me how you like to be fucked so I can pay it back.”

“I have plenty of fantasies that don’t have anything to do with sexual positions,” Shige points out, and Tegoshi lifts an eyebrow. “The first time, I just want you. On top of me, behind me, it doesn’t matter.”

Tegoshi grins as he spins Shige around in one swift motion. “On top of you, behind you. Got it.”

The mattress is firm against Shige’s stomach, but then Tegoshi’s body is draped over his back and Shige stretches out beneath him. The weight on top of him shifts while Tegoshi reaches for the lube, but then it evens out and Shige trembles at the lips that press against the back of his neck.

“Don’t go pretending I’m someone else now,” Tegoshi teases.

“Who would I even pretend you were?” Shige replies. “I’ve been pretending it was you even when you’re in a different body.”

Tegoshi pauses with his slick fingers halfway up Shige’s thigh. “That’s so sweet, Shige. I did the same thing. Not at first, but after I noticed the similarities between the different characters you played, I started imagining you as you while I was a female version of me.”

“The ultimate virtual sex,” Shige mutters, and Tegoshi continues his way between Shige’s legs. “If they ever let us make our own characters, it’s on.”

“If only.”

Shige starts to reply, but then Tegoshi’s fingertip brushes his rim and his priorities shift. He spreads his legs as much as he can while pressed against the bed, the sheets rubbing against his cock with every movement. Of course Tegoshi would be as slow at this as he was everything else, in real life anyway, even if Shige probably needs the extra stretching.

Tegoshi’s the one to moan first, barely knuckle-deep with the first finger as he kisses all over the back of Shige’s neck and shoulders. “You feel so good, Shige. I can’t wait to be inside you.”

“You’re the one going at a snail’s pace,” Shige says out loud, his eyes already widening in surprise while Tegoshi just laughs.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Tegoshi whispers into his skin. “I’ll do it faster if you want, but I know how painful it can be this way and the last thing I want is for you to have to suffer because it’s the only way I can be with you.”

Now Shige’s eyes fly open at the implication, and the question of whether that was Tegoshi’s personal experience is on the tip of his tongue before Tegoshi saves them both from that awkward conversation by pushing in another finger. Shige moans instead, pushing back against the touch that doesn’t hurt at all, his body easily adjusting to having something inside it. They can have that conversation another time.

“You’re so fucking hot right now,” Tegoshi says as he gets in a third finger, pushing them in and out like he was simulating sex. “I want you so badly. It’s driving me crazy to feel you tighten around my fingers and not around my dick. Please let me know when you’re ready for me.”

“I’m ready,” Shige forces out, hands planted in front of him to hold himself steady as he rocks back to take all three fingers deeper. “I want you too, Yuuya. Take me now.”

A low noise sounds in response to that and the fingers disappear, leaving Shige feeling strangely empty as Tegoshi seems to hesitate again.

“Should I wear a condom?” he asks, and Shige shakes his head so fast that sweat flies from his hair.

“I like feeling it inside me, after,” Shige manages to say, and Tegoshi’s next moan vibrates his entire spine as Tegoshi lies down on Shige’s back just before he pushes in.

They both hiss as they unite, Tegoshi clinging to Shige like this was harder for him than the one who’s actually getting penetrated. Maybe it is, the part of Shige’s brain that’s not focused on relaxing sending signals to his hand to reach down and cover Tegoshi’s, lacing their fingers together as intimately as he can in this position.

Once he’s all the way in, Tegoshi pauses until his body stops trembling, and Shige wonders what’s going on inside that one’s head. He supposes it was more than just confidence that Tegoshi had more of when he wasn’t in his own body.

It’s worth it when Tegoshi starts to move, sliding along Shige’s back as he uses his hips to pull out and thrust back in. It’s not that slow but slow enough to have Shige’s body yearning for more, his grasp on Tegoshi’s hand tightening in a silent plea to go harder, faster, _deeper_.

Tegoshi’s gasps turn into moans as he does all three, maintaining some semblance of a rhythm that has Shige scratching at the sheets. His own noises are low and loud, not holding back at how much he likes feeling Tegoshi pound into him like this, his breath running further away from him with each thrust.

Mumbled words press into his spine and Shige strains to hear it, maybe something from Tegoshi’s heart that only comes out in the midst of passion, but it doesn’t come again. Instead, Tegoshi’s free hand shakily makes its way around Shige’s hip to where he’s unintentionally humping the mattress, coiling his fingers around the hard length and escalating Shige’s breaths even more.

Tegoshi’s next moan is shrill, the lower version of the ones Shige has heard in the game, heightened even more with Tegoshi fisting his cock. He starts to lose his rhythm, but that’s okay because Shige’s beyond ready to come, squeezing Tegoshi’s fingers once again before he’s wrecked by orgasm.

“_Shige_,” Tegoshi calls out as he jerks on top of Shige, pulsing inside him before letting out a long, satisfied groan. “Oh, my god. I can’t move.”

“_You_ can’t move?” Shige huffs, effectively squished between Tegoshi and the mattress, and he only manages to catch some of his breath before Tegoshi pulls out and he loses it again.

“I kind of missed this,” Tegoshi says as he curls up next to Shige, gently rubbing Shige’s overworked hips and legs. “It’s nice not to be exhausted and sore in the virtual world, but at the same time that’s just part of having really good sex.”

“I really need to change my sheets,” is all Shige says, not making one iota of effort to push himself up, and Tegoshi doesn’t seem that quick to relocate either.

Much later, when both their bodies and Shige’s sheets are clean, Tegoshi curls up in Shige’s embrace under the covers. Obviously, he’s spending the night.

“I guess I have Kusano to thank for all of this,” Tegoshi mumbles as Shige’s mind drifts between reality and dreamworld. “He’s probably still mad at me because Yamapi chose to take me to the sea that one time.”

“_That’s_ what that was about?” Shige asks, now wide awake and rolling his eyes at his old friend’s ridiculous grudge. “Honestly, you both were like seventeen. Yamapi shouldn’t have been taking either of you anywhere.”

Tegoshi laughs. “It wasn’t like that, Shige! You’re cute when you’re jealous.”

“I’m not jealous,” Shige mutters.

“So, I can tell you all about the AI characters I fucked while I was trying to forget about you?” Tegoshi’s voice is light, but his words weigh heavy on Shige’s heart. “I even tried different games. You know Kuma in Tekken?”

“You did not fuck a bear,” Shige deadpans, squeezing his eyes shut to keep the mental images away. It doesn’t work.

“I fucked a _bear_ and I still couldn’t get you out of my mind,” Tegoshi says. “You’re hung much better than he was.”

“Oh, my _god_,” Shige whines, and Tegoshi laughs so hard that he shakes the bed.


End file.
